The High Road
by minimumstitch
Summary: Ianto realises that in order to keep his pride he must sacrifice his relationship with Jack.
1. Chapter 1

Ianto lay in bed, unable to stop the thoughts running through his head. It was almost time for him to carry out his plan, and although he was certain he was doing the right thing, part of him wanted to remain with Jack despite recent events.

The first time Jack had called out his own name during sex, Ianto had put it down to his lover's egotism. He had not noticed the guilty expression on his face as Ianto had teased him mercilessly. The second time it occurred, as soon as Jack had come, he had rolled off of Ianto, cleaned himself up and began to dress, all the while unable to meet Ianto's confused gaze. When Ianto had demanded to know where the hell he was going, he had made up a feeble excuse about needing to feed Myfanwy.

It wasn't until Ianto had found the picture of Captain Jack Harkness in Jack's desk drawer that the pieces began to fall into place. He supposed he should have screamed and shouted, demanded answers and made Jack pay for his betrayal but he found he couldn't. He loved him, but he had to face the truth; although Jack loved him, he didn't love him enough. It wasn't Jack's fault; it was just one of those things. He couldn't blame him really, why on earth wouldn't Jack fall in love with a man that would sacrifice the respect of his men and his career to kiss a man he had only just met in a crowded room?

Since then, Ianto had systematically begun to withdraw from Jack. Gone were the soft touches and knowing smiles, gone were the playful games and whispered comments designed to shock and arouse and in their place were civil tones and hurried fucking followed by awkward silences as each man tried to ignore the elephant in the room with them.

Jack had initially been confused, looking for traces of anger or pain, waiting for the time when Ianto's calm facade would fall and the accusations would fly. However, as time had gone by and Ianto's demeanour hadn't changed, Jack had begun to relax and it was this more than anything else that had angered Ianto. He had not expected Jack to fall to the floor begging for understanding, but he had at least expected a token attempt to appease him, instead, Jack had seemed relieved that he was free to indulge in his obsession of Captain Jack Harkness.

When Ianto had brought up the topic of cross-training at the team meeting, Jack had initially been suspicious but once Ianto had dumbfounded him with logic, he had accepted the proposal so thoroughly that he had actually believed he had suggested it. Ianto had taught Gwen how to find her way around the archives, Tosh how to complete the numerous forms that filled his days and Owen how to make the coffee. In return, Owen had taught him basic surgical techniques, Tosh had taught him the intricacies of the mainframe and how to hack into any CCTV system and Gwen, well Gwen had taught him every dirty criminal trick she had learnt while on the force (many of which Ianto had already known, but he hadn't had the heart to wipe the proud smile of her face so had bumbled his way through, slowly improving at an acceptable rate).

Training with Jack had been unnecessary, there was nothing he could have taught him, and any secrets that Jack had remained just that, secrets.

In between training sessions, field work and the general day-to-day running of the Hub Ianto had still found time to appease his physical hunger for Jack. But as his physical hunger lessened, his emotional hunger grew and he found himself trying to convince himself that Jack truly loved him. He silenced the voices in his head that told him he was a fool and convinced himself that he had to at least try to salvage his relationship with Jack.

The final straw came when Jack had bounded in to the Tourist Information Office carrying a large box and wearing a beaming smile. Ianto's grin at his lover's exuberance lasted only as long as it took to open the box and see the contents. Inside had been a vintage American Air Force uniform. Ianto hadn't needed to say a word, his expression had said it all; Jack had hurriedly removed the offending box and they had never spoken of it again.

It had taken a few days for Ianto's replacement, David, to become available. He had already checked how the team had responded to him by inviting them round for dinner and introducing David as his cousin that was visiting for a few days. He had watched them interact and was pleased when David verbally sparred with Owen, refusing him to give him the upper hand. Tosh had taken a shine to David immediately, recognising a fellow computer enthusiast and Gwen had tried to interrogate the young man, only to find herself revealing more about herself than she learned about him.

It had been David's reaction to Jack that worried Ianto the most, but he soon realised that he needn't have worried. The man was totally immune to the charms of the Captain; much to team's amusement and Jack's chagrin.

Looking at the clock, Ianto rolled out of bed and leaving Jack sleeping, made his way to the Hub where he met David at the door. When Jack arrived, it was to find David feeding Myfanwy whilst being supervised by Ianto. Not wishing to spook the pterosaur he waited until she had been fed before ordering Ianto to his office.

"What the hell is he doing here? I thought I made it clear this was a top secret base, therefore no family invited to play with the dinosaurs!" Jack yelled.

Ianto lifted an eyebrow. "So it's not bring your family to work day then?" Ianto asked in mock innocence.

"Don't be patronising! What the hell is he doing here?"

Ianto took a seat in front of Jack's desk and looked at Jack seriously. Suddenly his mouth went dry and his heart began to pound so hard he thought that his body must be jerking to the rhythm of its beat. He took a deep breath before he began.

"David isn't my cousin, he's my replacement. I've taught the others most of my duties but you'll still need an extra hand. David is ex-UNIT so he's familiar with Torchwood's work and he is field trained."

Jack's mouth opened and closed, his mind whirring as he tried to comprehend Ianto's words. "What do you mean your replacement, where the hell are you going?"

Ianto smiled sadly. "I mean exactly what it sounds like; David is here to take my place. I requested a transfer to Torchwood House, working in the archives and they accepted me. I start in two weeks time. That should give me enough time to find a flat and settle in before I start work."

He watched as Jack stood up abruptly and began to pace the room. "I know that I've been a bit distracted..." He broke off abruptly at Ianto's snort of derision. "...but you don't have to leave, we can work things out, I know we can!"

"Distracted! Distracted! You call out some other man's name while we make love and then you try and get me to dress like him! That's not distracted, that's just being an insensitive twat! You know how I feel about you, yet you insist on making it clear it's not me you love, it's a man that doesn't exist anywhere but in your head. You know I almost feel sorry for you, almost, but not quite."

"I am so sorry, Ianto. I never meant to hurt you. I honestly believed that I could give you what you needed. You have to believe me."

Ianto looked at him in disbelief. "I'm sure you did at the start, but what about in the last few months? I've played second fiddle to a memory and you haven't even tried to hide it, in fact you've rubbed my nose in it! Did you honestly think I wouldn't mind being dressed up to look like your fantasy man?" Ianto paused as the impact of his next words hit him. "It's over, Jack. I deserve to be loved and accepted for who I am, not who you want me to be."

Jack looked devastated. "I know you do. If it's any consolation I wanted to love you, I really did. So when are you going?"

"The day after tomorrow. I didn't want to spring this on you and just leave so I'll make sure David is settled in and I'll break the news to Gwen, Tosh and Owen."

Jack nodded sadly. "Alright, tomorrow night we'll go out as a team to give you a proper send off." As Ianto began to protest, Jack held up his hand. "This isn't just about you and me, the others will want a proper chance to say goodbye and good luck, I don't want how you feel about me to affect that."

Ianto paused, thinking it over before agreeing. "Alright. For the team."

As Ianto began to leave Jack stopped him, holding on to his arm. He gathered the younger man in his arms. "I'll miss you so much. I'm sorry I've hurt you." Any composure Ianto had managed to keep deserted him at Jack's whispered words. Ianto's breath hitched with the effort of holding back the tears that suddenly flooded his vision.

Ianto pulled away and straightened his suit. "I know I'll miss you too." He gave Jack a watery smile and held out his hand. "Now come on, it's time to tell the kids that Mommy and Daddy are splitting up, what will you bet me that Gwen will cry?"

Jack squeezed his hand and forced a laugh. "Uh-uh, there's no way I'm taking that bet; now if it was Owen..."


	2. Chapter 2

The ringing of a telephone broke Jack's reverie and he glanced away from the monitor. It had become a ritual; Jack would wake up, wander to the coffee machine, gaze at it longingly before moving back to his desk to watch the Jack and Ianto slide show that he had created from the images taken by the CCTV cameras throughout the hub.

The phone rang a few more times before it stopped suddenly; he waited for a few moments expecting to hear Ianto calling him to the phone, but he realised that Ianto wasn't here anymore and that he was responsible for answering his own phone. It had been nearly 3 months since Ianto had left, but Jack still couldn't quite believe it, and every now and again he expected to hear Ianto's sexy, Welsh vowels telling him that the Prime Minister was on line one, and could he please not bring up the incident with the defabricator again. It was amazing just how angry General Hammond and the Prime Minister were these days; of course, it could just be that Ianto wasn't there anymore to smooth their ruffled feathers before they got on the line to Jack.

The phone began to ring again and he hurriedly answered it. "Captain Jack Harkness." He stated slightly unsurely; just how the hell was he meant to answer the telephone in a top secret base?

"Sir?" A deep, husky, Welsh voice asked uncertainly. "Is this a bad time, would you like me to call later or put my request via email?"

Jack perked up at the first vowel uttered. "Ianto! How are you? Please don't hang up! Is it busy at Torchwood House? How can I help?" Jack asked in a rush, the sound of Ianto's voice sending him far back into his adolescence, leaving him sounding like a love struck teenager.

"I'm fine, Sir. Busy as can be expected and I was calling to request my medical files be sent to Torchwood House for the attention of Doctor McIntyre." Ianto stated succinctly.

"Medical files? Why the hell do you need your medical files sent up there? What's happened are you alright? Do you need me to send Owen?" A sudden stampede up the stairs to his office had him raising a finger and glaring at his team to stop any questions. He pressed the button so that Ianto was now on speakerphone.

"There's nothing to be alarmed about, Sir. There was an incident in the archives and I required medical attention. Dr McIntyre has updated my electronic medical files but the paper files need to be updated as well. If you could send them to Dr McIntyre I would be most grateful."

"Are you badly hurt, Ianto? Do you want me to come and bring you back?" A hopeful note crept into Jack's voice as he asked the last question.

"It was just a minor injury, Sir. I think it would be best if I remain here."

Jack grimaced and turned the speakerphone off, turning his back on the team. "Please, Ianto, can't you drop the 'Sir' act? I know I hurt you but please don't discount everything we had."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I think it's best if we kept this professional. I don't want to jeopardise my position at Torchwood by acting like a scorned lover." Ianto apologised.

Jack sighed. "Of course, I understand...just promise me one thing, if you need to talk or want to come back, promise me you'll call me. Please don't let your pride get in the way of you being happy."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and Jack was beginning to worry about crossing the line with Ianto when he heard a sigh. "If I choose to come back, I will call you."

"And if you need to talk? I know you, Ianto, you'll keep everything bottled up inside until it's too much and the nightmares will start over again." Jack pressed.

"If I need to talk there is a trained counsellor available. I'm not trying to hurt you, Jack; I just don't want to have to rely on you."

"I guess I deserve that. I am sorry that I couldn't be what you wanted or deserved. I'll have Owen send your files to Dr McIntyre."

"Thank you, Jack." Jack began to hang up only to be halted "And Jack...we both know the reason why we split up and it had nothing to do with you not being what I wanted or deserved. In the end I couldn't live up to the ideal of a fantasy, it was me who couldn't be what you wanted."

Jack hung up when he heard the soft click followed by the dialling tone. He looked at the screen in front of him and realised that since Ianto had left, Captain Jack Harkness had not crossed his mind. Jack snorted in amusement; trust him to want what he couldn't have. He turned back to Tosh, Gwen and Owen who were waiting in the doorway for an explanation. "Owen, send Ianto's medical files to Dr McIntyre at Torchwood House. Gwen, Tosh...well I'm sure there's something you should be doing, so get to it."

Owen stomped back down the stairs, muttering under his breath about imbecilic immortals and Teaboys that couldn't lick a stamp without getting a bloody paper cut. Gwen and Tosh just looked at each other and Jack could swear he could hear them mentally playing rock, paper, scissors to decide who was going to stay with him. Gwen, obviously losing the game, gave him a sympathetic smile before turning and heading back down the stairs.

"Was there something you wanted, Tosh?" Jack asked as the young woman fully entered his office. He hid his surprise when instead of standing meekly waiting for him to ask her to sit; she came around his desk and perched on it beside his chair.

"We're worried about you, Jack. When Ianto left you were like a bear with a sore head but now...well look at you!" Tosh waved her arm at him, prompting Jack to look down at himself; true his trousers and shirt were a bit more wrinkled than usual but with Ianto gone he hadn't exactly had time to stand around doing his ironing. Tosh moved his mouse and Ianto's picture appeared on the screen. "When are you going to tell him how you feel? You know the only reason he left was that he loved you and thought you didn't love him."

Jack shook his head in defeat. "That's not the only reason." As Jack began to tell her, Tosh moved around the desk and sat opposite him. She listened silently to Jack's woeful tale, visibly biting her lip to stop herself berating Jack when he came to the part where he had used Ianto as a sexual substitute for Jack Harkness.

When Jack had finished, Tosh stood and leaned over the desk. "Jack, no wonder Ianto left! The only good thing about this is that you've come to your senses and it isn't too late to fix this."

Jack looked at her in disbelief. "How the hell do I fix this, Tosh? I humiliated him; I made him feel like he wasn't good enough for me! Do you honestly think that he will come back now? Would you?"

"You can't just give up!" Tosh threw up her arms in anger. "You screwed up, Jack, and it's going to take a hell of a lot of grovelling to get him back, but if anyone can do it, you can! If anything happens to that boy and you are not there to save him, you will never forgive yourself and neither will I!"

"He's happy there, Tosh. Plus he's got a chance at a relatively normal life. Torchwood House is not like here, it's a 9-5 job with little or no fieldwork. He'll be safe there."

"And the fact that he loves you...?" Tosh asked in frustration.

"He left me, Tosh, he's already made the decision that he can live without me and I have to respect that. I hurt him, I didn't mean to, but I hurt him and now I have to live with the consequences of my actions."

Sensing that Jack had settled into martyr mode, Tosh left, cursing under her breath. Jack shook his head, he was older than the young Japanese woman by several hundred years but she could make him feel like a child that had been scolded by his mother.

When he was sure that Tosh had left, Jack pulled out a piece of thick, writing paper and a fountain pen and glancing at the screen, he began to write, putting his heart and soul on the paper for Ianto to see. Jack meant what he had said to Tosh, he accepted that he had lost Ianto, but the hurt in the young man's voice made him want to explain and reassure the young man that he was all that anyone could ever need. After filling several sheets of paper, Jack sighed and put the pen down, feeling emotionally exhausted. He placed the letter in the envelope and kept it to the side, ready to slip it into the box of Ianto's medical records.


	3. Chapter 3

Torchwood House, although beautiful, was not exactly a hub of excitement and Ianto was going out of his mind with boredom. The archives were interesting and he was enjoying being able to touch and smell the original, ancient documents that previously he had only been able to read about on the database. However, after 7.24 hours of archiving day after day, they were rapidly beginning to lose their appeal.

It wouldn't be so bad if there was some way to break up the monotony, but Torchwood House was in the middle of nowhere and it wasn't as though he could just nip out to the cinema or to the shops to grab a magazine. Hell, he didn't even have the luxury of deciding when or what he wanted to eat. Breakfast was served promptly at 7am, lunch at 12.30pm and dinner at 6.30pm and the menu was set out by the dour-faced cook whose speciality seemed to be meat of any sort. When Ianto had mentioned being a vegetarian to the cook, it was made clear that not even nearly being eaten by cannibals was a good enough reason to avoid eating meat.

"Post!" yelled James. "Ianto, get your arse over here and take this bloody package from me. It weighs a ton."

Ianto did a double take when he realised that he had actually received some post and that the rather large box James was holding, was for him. As he went to collect it, he wondered who the hell would be sending him anything. They weren't expecting any documents or artefacts from any of the other Torchwood sites, and even if they were they wouldn't be addressed to him.

He retired to his room to open the package, not wishing to open it in front of the others in case it held something embarrassing or dubious in nature. In all likelihood it was just his medical records as he requested and god knows working with Torchwood his medical file had reached a rather impressive size, but it paid to be careful, especially when Jack Harkness was involved.

As Ianto opened the box, he was glad that he had chosen to open it in private. It wouldn't do for the others to see him crying like a little girl over a care package. He read the note that was on the top of the items and had to smile at Gwen and Toshiko's message. "We are not above bribery, please come back, we miss you and I bet you miss these. If you come back there's more where these came from ;)"

He began to pull out the items, a French press, bag of coffee beans, a selection of his favourite magazines and the latest thriller by his favourite author. There were also several bars of chocolate and they had managed to find a small model of a pterodactyl. The pterodactyl also had a note attached to it too 'I miss you, please come back'. Underneath all of that was his medical files addressed to Dr McIntyre in Owen's spidery hand-writing. As he took out the medical files he discovered two more envelopes; one addressed to him in Owen's hand-writing and another in Jack's. He put the envelopes to one side, not wishing to open them yet.

He picked up the medical files, leafing through them. As he read, he realised that Owen was actually quite competent, which was a bit of a surprise. Ianto noted the amount of detail that Owen had gone into, cataloguing every bruise, scrape and scar that Ianto had ever received. He hadn't realised just how much his body had gone through in the brief time he had spent in Torchwood Three.

He picked up the two envelopes and slipped them into his inside pocket then picked up the medical files and made his way to the medical station, which was a small outhouse in the grounds of Torchwood House. The medical facilities here put the Hub's facilities to shame. At first Ianto had been astounded by the medical facilities at Torchwood House; especially considering the most dangerous activity done there was climbing a ladder to put a box on a particularly high shelf, but after seeing the ages of his colleagues, he now fully understood the reason for them. Ianto was by far the youngest member of staff by at least thirty years and despite all his beatings by various aliens and psychopaths, was the healthiest.

He ignored the look of shock on Dr McIntyre's face as he handed him the medical files. He was sure the doctor hadn't believed him when he explained the story behind every one of his scars. He left the doctor reading his medical files as though they were the latest Kathy Reich's thriller.

The envelopes, despite their small size, felt heavy in his pocket and he used every shred of restraint not to open them as soon as he was in the privacy of the Victorian archives section. It was Ianto's job to check the documents and ensure that they were still readable and take any documents in poor shape to the restoration department.

He worked throughout the morning, focussing his whole attention on the work at hand. He was so focussed that only the gong for lunch made him realise just how hungry he was. He made his way up to the dining room and sat at the table with his fellow archivists, grimacing at the plate that was put in front of him. Thankfully it was a roast beef salad and within minutes he had traded his roast beef for his neighbour's cucumber and tomatoes.

"So what was in the package? Come on, don't keep us in suspense." Patrick, his neighbour, asked.

Ianto shrugged. "Just my medical files and a care package from my friends."

"Oh yeah, who are they then?" The older man asked in surprise, as Ianto had never really opened up and mentioned any of his colleagues in Cardiff.

"Just Gwen, Toshiko, Owen, Myfanwy and...Jack" Ianto paused, reluctant to speak about his former lover.

"Gwen, Toshiko and Myfanwy? Who are they, then? Your little harem?" Patrick asked, his eyes gleaming with interest. Ianto couldn't blame him really; the only females at Torchwood House were Margaret, the rather dour cook and May who was 75 if she was a day and had the ability to bring everyone else down to her level of depression.

"You wish!" Ianto snorted. "No, Gwen is a former copper who started working for the Cardiff branch a little while ago, and before you ask, she has a boyfriend, Rhys. Toshiko is probably my best friend." Ianto smiled fondly as he thought of Toshiko. "She is a technical genius and pool shark. Seems very shy and quiet but don't be fooled for an instant, when she decides to let her hair down she really goes for it."

"And Myfanwy...?"

"Ah, Myfanwy, my best girl. Now I fell for Myfanwy the first moment I saw her. Absolutely beautiful, and give her a bar of chocolate and she's your friend for life." Ianto grinned at the look of interest on Patrick and the other's face.

"Don't suppose you have a picture of this beauty, do you?" He asked, casually.

Ianto reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing the envelopes as he took out his mobile phone. He brought up the picture of Myfanwy and showed it to Patrick, who looked crestfallen as he saw a rather grey and scaly dinosaur instead of the beautiful, young woman he was expecting.

"What? Don't you think she's beautiful?" Ianto smirked.

"Aye, very nice, now do you have any photos of Gwen and Toshiko?" Patrick asked. When Ianto showed him a picture of the two women, the older man smiled. "Now that's more like it! And you left these two beauties of your own choice? Are you mad, man?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself." Ianto admitted.

After lunch he made his way back to the archives and sat down at the large table. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed the two letters. He placed Jack's letter to the side and opened Owen's, slightly afraid of what he might find inside.

Hey Teaboy,

You have to come back, seriously, come back. Look at the photo if you don't believe me.

Ianto looked at the Polaroid photograph that Owen had included. It showed the hub in a complete state of disrepair, much like it had been when he had first started there.

How can you not come back now that you have seen the state of the place since you left? And that is just the main hub; imagine what your archives look like! The bloody pterodactyl is moping and her screeching is giving me a headache.

If that is not enough to make you come back, perhaps this will. I am going insane, seriously, I am outnumbered by bloody girls (and yes that includes Jack, he is worse than Tosh and Gwen). If I have to watch Harkness staring moodily at your picture one more day I am going to spew (and who's going to clean it up if you're not here?).

Owen

p.s tell anyone about this and I accidently leave the photos of when you had an allergic reaction to that lube, lying around.

Ianto shook his head in disbelief, not at Owen's threat – he believed that – but at the fact that Owen had written at all. Christ! For Owen that was practically a declaration of love. So, Jack was moping for him? Of course he was moping, he'd lost his fuck buddy and now they were one man down, he didn't have time to nip out and find himself another. Ianto snorted, Owen was lucky Jack was only moping; three months of celibacy should be enough to drive him completely insane.

Ianto picked up the envelope from Jack, curious to find out exactly what the Captain had to say for himself.

Ianto,

I hope things are well with you and that you are not regretting your decision to leave Cardiff.

I want to apologise for the way I treated you. My only defence is stupidity and I know that it isn't much of a defence. I became besotted by a man on the simple basis that he was reckless enough to publicly kiss a man he had only just met, risking his career and even his life. I will not insult your intelligence and say that the idea of Captain Jack Harkness does not still appeal to me but I realise now that he is nothing more than a character in a romance novel.

I find myself thinking of you often. Knowing you, you probably think it's because I am suffering from lack of sex, but I can assure you that this is not the case. Before you jump to conclusion s, this is not because I have managed to replace you but because I haven't wanted to. Please don't snort in disbelief, I know you think that I am some kind of time travelling nymphomaniac that can't go a day without sex, but I assure you that the only reason I couldn't go a day without sex when we were together was that I couldn't look at you and not want you. Before you, I had been celibate for many years (it's true, honestly! If you want to be exact I had been celibate since New Years Eve 1999).

Ianto Jones, I love you. This is not me replacing the ideal of Captain Jack Harkness with an ideal of Ianto Jones; this is me wanting to let you know that despite the fact that you answer the phone whilst we are having sex, drool in your sleep, snore like a pig and have a bad habit of being a bit sarcastic (yes, really!) I love you.

Please come home, Ianto. If you don't want to be with any more I will respect your decision but please don't let me chase you away from your friends and family.

Yours hopefully,

Jack.

Ianto reread the letter, unable to believe what he was reading. He knew that Jack was an emotional creature and subject to spontaneous emotional outbursts but he had never known him to actually think about what he was saying.

He looked around the room, taking in all the undiscovered treasures. There was so much for him to see and do here; work-wise at least. In Cardiff, he was tea boy, general maintenance, cleaner and support, but here, despite the monotony of day to day work, he had the respect of his colleagues and a clear, defined role instead of general dogsbody. Ianto sighed, could he give all that up in the off-chance that Jack was being genuine?

**A/N: Sorry, I had thought that this would be a three chapter story but then my brain disengaged and my fingers took over (it works better when I don't actually think as it saves on guessing and second-guessing myself) and they have decided another chapter is needed. Hopefully it shan't be too long before the last chapter is finished.**


	4. Chapter 4

Tosh looked at the message on her mobile and smiled as she replied. Pocketing the phone she made her way up to Jack's office. "Jack, do you mind if I disappear for the night? The rift is quiet and the programs won't be finished until the morning."

Jack barely glanced up at her. "Sure, go home, Tosh"

Tosh practically skipped out of his office and Jack was glad that she was happy. She had been quiet since Ianto had left, but recently she had appeared happier and he had seen her checking her mobile phone frequently. He hoped that whoever it was that was making her happy knew what a gem they had in her.

Jack looked at the photograph on his desk and sighed. It had been almost a month since they had sent Ianto's medical files to Torchwood House and Jack had hoped that his letter may have had some effect. He didn't expect Ianto to just come running back because he had told him he loved him, but he had hoped that they might have started talking, but the young man had been as professional as ever whenever they had talked on the telephone.

Tosh unlocked her door and squealed with joy as she saw Ianto sitting on her couch, reading the newspaper, coffee in hand. He quickly put down the cup and stood up just in time to catch the small bombshell hurtling towards him.

"Hey you, I take it you're happy to see me."

Tosh smacked him. "Don't you ever leave again! Do you know what it's been like only having Jack, Gwen and Owen for company? I love them, but by god they are the most self-involved people I know."

"How do you think I feel? I've had no-one under the age of fifty to speak to and the most exciting thing they can talk about is whether or not they are going to have pudding today! Seriously, it was so boring."

Tosh moved off him and snuggled into his side. "At least you're back now. When are you coming back to work?"

"End of the week. I've got a few things I need to do first." Ianto replied.

"Does this have anything to do with Jack? Have you forgiven him yet?" Tosh asked, looking up at him.

"Partly. I need to get my things out of storage and get my flat back in shape, but I do want time to get used to the idea of seeing him again. I've forgiven him but I don't want to make it too easy for him. "

"Seriously, Ianto, he really loves you and he has been absolutely miserable without you. I hope you don't mind but he told me what he did."

"Of course I don't mind. If I hadn't been so embarrassed I would have told you myself. I just felt like he had humiliated me, and he did. I know people have fantasies and I really don't mind helping Jack live out his but the way he went about it was wrong. He made me feel like I wasn't good enough. Believe me that won't be happening again."

*

Jack glanced up as he heard the cog door rolling back. "You're late! Even Gwen and Owen were in before you. I take it everything went okay last night. Is he cute, or should I say she, cute?"

Tosh gave him a mischievous grin. "_He_ is very cute. I think you would be impressed."

Jack gave a pained grin. "You've found someone as good as Ianto? If that's the case I am impressed."

Tosh smirked. "He is definitely as good as Ianto."

"I'm glad, you deserve to be happy. Just don't take him for granted or let him go. Learn from your Uncle Jack's mistakes."

Tosh squirmed as Jack's mood took a downturn. She was tempted to tell him about Ianto, but she had promised that she would let him tell Jack in his own time. "You've learned. That's the main thing."

"Too little, too late."

Tosh patted his arm as she walked passed him, unsure how to console the older man.

*

Jack took the decanter of whisky and cut crystal glass out of his drawer. He sighed after the first sip. It had been a long week and the others had only just left. He groaned as he heard the alarm go off and the cog door roll back.

"Haven't you got a home to go to? It's late and I'm tired. Come back tomorrow." He yelled as he walked out of the door, glass in hand. The glass crashed to the floor, whisky dripping through the grates.

"I'm not back a day and you're trying to give me something to clean up. Well you can clear it up yourself, the dustpan's in the kitchen; if you haven't lost it that is."

"Ianto? What...? How...? You're meant to be in Scotland."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you want me to leave I will. See you, Jack." He turned around and walked back through the cog door, waiting on the other side with a grin on his face.

Jack raced down the stairs, leaping the last few. "No! Wait! Please. I didn't mean it."

Ianto walked back through the door, his face carefully arranged into a blank expression. Jack launched himself at the young man, pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly, reassuring himself that Ianto was really there in his arms. Ianto held himself stiffly, unwilling to relax until he had told Jack the terms of his return. Sensing Ianto's discomfort, Jack reluctantly released him.

"I got your letter; to say I was surprised is an understatement. Why did you write, Jack? Why not just call me?"

Jack looked Ianto in the eye. "Because that would have been to easy..."

"So it was a challenge for you?" Ianto asked with a gleam in his eye that warned Jack he was in serious danger of putting his foot in his mouth.

"No! I know you, Ianto and I know that you know me. I'm an emotional person, if I talked to you on the phone I would have just blurted everything out and you wouldn't have known if I meant it or if it was just a spur of the moment thing. You have no idea how many times I wrote that letter, every time I did it; it just seemed to be wrong. "

"I am back for good and I want to give us another try, but there are some ground rules. Captain Jack Harkness stays out of the bedroom from now on. I have no problem with acting out your fantasies but I draw the line at being a convenient body for you to fuck while you think about an old lover."

"Of course, I was an idiot; I didn't know what a good thing I had until I lost you. I don't need fantasies, I have you. I do have you, don't I?" Jack asked, searching Ianto's face hopefully, pleased when he saw the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm not going to tidy up around here anymore. This place is a pigsty, you're all perfectly capable of cleaning up after yourselves, but you're just too bloody lazy to do it. If you can't be bothered, hire a cleaner." Seeing Jack's doubtful expression, Ianto sighed. "I know we are a secret organisation. We can hire one of UNIT's cleaners. It's not impossible."

"Ok, done. Anything else?" Jack said eagerly.

"No inappropriate behaviour during work. I know the others know about us, but you groping me or playing footsie during team meetings does not show that you respect me or my opinions." Ianto almost laughed at the downhearted expression on Jack's face. He looked like a child who'd had his favourite toy confiscated. Jack nodded grudgingly.

"Right... In that case..." Ianto pulled Jack towards him until their bodies were flush, not an inch of space between them. He slowly, but thoroughly kissed him, savouring his taste and texture. When they were both out of breath, he pulled away. "Now, considering that you lived out your fantasies at my expense I think it's only fair that I get to live out mine."

Jack nodded eagerly, waiting for Ianto to elaborate but grew confused when the young man walked out of the hub and came back a moment later with a garment bag over his shoulder. He passed the bag to Jack. "Put it on." He demanded.

Jack opened the bag and pulled out a pirate costume. He looked at Ianto questioningly. "What? You're not the only one with a Captain Jack fantasy."

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and commented. I really wasn't sure how to end it so I hope the ending works for you. Thanks again for reading ******


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